Description and Brand Names

US Brand Name

Vivotif

Descriptions

Typhoid fever is a serious disease that can cause death. It is caused by a germ called Salmonella typhi, and is spread most often through infected food or water. Typhoid may also be spread by close person-to-person contact with infected persons (such as occurs with persons living in the same household). Some infected persons do not appear to be sick, but they can still spread the germ to others.

Typhoid fever is very rare in the United States (U.S.) and other areas of the world that have good water and sewage (waste) systems. However, it is a problem in parts of the world that do not have such systems. If you are traveling to certain countries or remote areas, typhoid vaccine will help protect you from typhoid fever. The U.S. CDC recommends caution in the following areas of the world:

Africa

Asia

Latin America

Typhoid vaccine taken by mouth helps prevent typhoid fever, but does not provide 100% protection. Therefore, it is very important to avoid infected persons and food and water that may be infected, even if you have taken the vaccine.

To get the best possible protection against typhoid, you should complete the vaccine dosing schedule (all 4 doses of the vaccine) at least 1 week before travel to areas where you may be exposed to typhoid.

If you will be traveling regularly to parts of the world where typhoid is a problem, you should get a booster (repeat) dose of the vaccine every 5 years.